The Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram

The Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram:

Esoteric Working

The Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram is the first element ritual of the Western Mystery Tradition and will be found in the Golden Dawn, the O.T.O. and most others. It can be used for many purposes, both internal and external, based on it's inherent ability to organize and refine energy at an elemental level. The true benefits of performing this ritual are gained by it's persistent, repeated use. Daily performing the LBRP will bring great gains over time. Remember, magic is not a quick path. Like any skill, it takes time and practice.

Part 1: Kabbalistic Cross

The ritual begins with the Kabbalistic Cross. If you're not familiar with the Kabbalistic Cross, If you're not familiar with the Kabbalistic Cross, an in-depth instructional post is on the blog. You only need enough room to stand with your arm extended and be able to safely turn around in a circle. When the names are spoken, you will “vibrate” them. This means to speak from your diaphragm in a reverent yet commanding tone that echoes, like the sound of chanting in a large cathedral.

Part 2: The Banishing Pentagrams

The Formulation of the Pentagrams

The next part of the ritual is drawing the appropriate elemental banishing pentagrams (Air, Fire, Water, and Earth, respectively) in the quarters and vibrating the deity names. Refer to the diagram above for the Air pentagram; the circle indicates the starting point, the arrow the direction.

First, you’ll be drawing an Air Banishing Pentagram in front of you. Still facing the East, with the first two fingers of your right hand (advanced students can use a consecrated wand or dagger), using the full swing of your arm, trace a full-sized Air Banishing pentagram in the air before you. The lines you trace and the pentagram itself should appear bright blue-white and flaming in your mind’s eye.

Begin the pentagram from your left at shoulder level, then trace a line across to your right at shoulder level, then continue the line, drawing down to the outside the left hip. Next trace a line up to a point that is level with the top of your head, and then down (like a capital letter "A") to outside the right hip. Do not forget to form the last diagonal to rejoin the line where you began it. Bring the point of your wand, dagger or fingers to the center and vibrate sonorously the Divine Name "Yod He Vau He." (pronounced "Yod - Hay - Vow - Hay) See the pentagram energized, filling the open spaces of it with a bright, vibrant canary yellow light.

Next, without lowering your arm (it should be extended straight outward from your shoulder, pointing at a central point), turn ninety degrees, keeping your arm straight, to the right so that you face South. As you do, see a line of brilliant blue-white light connecting the pentagram in the East and the center of where your second pentagram, a Fire Banishing Pentagram, in the South is about to be drawn.

Begin the pentagram from outside your right hip, trace a line up to a point that is level with the top of your head, and then down (like a capital letter "A") to outside the left hip. Then up diagonally to outside of your right shoulder, and horizontally across to outside your left shoulder. then draw the last diagonal to rejoin the line where you began it. Refer to the diagram above which shows the starting point for the Fire pentagram.

Bring the point of your wand, dagger or fingers to the center and vibrate sonorously the Divine Name "Adonai." (pronounced "Ah - Doh - Nye") See the pentagram energized, filling the open spaces of it with a bright, vibrant cardinal red, the same way you filled the Air pentagram with yellow.

Again, without lowering your arm, turn ninety degrees, keeping your arm straight, to the right so that you face West. As you do see a line of brilliant blue-white light connecting the pentagram in the South and the center of where your third pentagram, a Water Banishing Pentagram, in the West is about to be drawn.

Begin the pentagram from outside your right shoulder, trace a line across to your left shoulder, and then down to outside the right hip. Then trace a line up to a point that is level with the top of your head, and then down (like a capital letter "A") to outside the left hip. Then draw the last diagonal to rejoin the line where you began it. Again, refer to the diagram above which shows the starting point for the Water pentagram.

Bring the point of your wand, dagger or fingers to the center and vibrate sonorously the Divine Name "Eheieh." (pronounced "Eh - Ee - Aay.") See the pentagram energized, filling the open spaces of it with a bright, vibrant cardinal blue.

Once again, without lowering your arm (it is not lowered throughout this ritual) turn ninety degrees right again to face North, tracing the circle of light similarly to the previous times. This next pentagram is an Earth Banishing Pentagram.

Begin the pentagram from outside your left hip, trace a line up to a point that is level with the top of your head, and then down to outside the right hip, then straight up diagonally to outside of your left shoulder, and horizontally across to outside your right shoulder, then down to form the last diagonal to rejoin the line where you began it.

Bring the point of your wand, dagger or fingers to the center and vibrate sonorously the Divine Name “Agla.” (pronounced “Ah –Glah.”) Refer this time to the Earth pentagram diagram at the beginning of this section. See the pentagram energized, filling the open spaces of it with a bright, vibrant verdant green.

Turning ninety degrees to the East, continue the circle of light to join the first pentagram in the East, where you started, to complete the circle. You should now see a circle of brilliant light around you, studded with four bright flaming pentagrams.

Part 3: The Evocation of the Archangels

The third part of the ritual proceeds with the Evocation of the Archangels. Face East, spreading your arms palms upwards at shoulder height, (this is called a Tau or T-cross posture) and say:

"Before me, Raphael!" (Vibrate the name sonorously, which is pronounced "Rah - Fi - El.")

"Behind me Gabriel!" (Vibrate the name sonorously, which is pronounced "Rah - Fi - El.")

"On my right hand, Michael!" (Vibrate the name sonorously, which is pronounced "Mih - Ki- El.")

"On my left hand, Auriel!" (Vibrate the name sonorously, which is pronounced "Or - Ee - El.")

"For about me flames the pentagram, and in the column stands the six-rayed star!"

The Archangels should clearly be seen at each quarter of the circle. As an example, Raphael may be seen with colors of yellow and violet with the element of Air in golden rays pouring from the East, Gabriel with colors of blue and orange with purifying elemental Water pouring in from the West in blue rays, Michael in scarlet and emerald radiating the Fire element from the South energizing with red rays, and Auriel in the colors of the Earth element with stabilizing Earth rays emanating from the Northen fertile green.

Now see yourself surrounded by a circle of light studded with four flaming pentagrams, with the Archangels (very tall, towering) guarding the quarters. Now intone,

“For about me flame the Pentagrams, and in the center, the six rayed star”.

See the six-rayed star, the golden hexagram, above and below you as in a six -sided column with you standing in the center of this column. It is the floor and roof of the palace for the Indwelling Spirit that you have built.

the Hexagram

The ritual is completed by repeating the performance of the Kabbalistic Cross exactly as you did at the beginning. The Ritual is now complete.

Part 4: Reasons for and Uses of the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram

This is a very High Magick approach to spiritual growth, not one most of the Craft use. It is in great use by practicing magicians who follow one of the Western Mystery traditions, such as the Golden Dawn or the O.T.O. It is found in most Western Magickal traditions because it is very effective and its daily use helps in spiritual growth.

In my experience, the regular practice of the LBRP tends to refine the energy of the practitioner. The best description I can give for this is if we consider the energy of a person to be like grades of gravel. Often when starting out, these grains are rather coarse, like gravel or pebbles. As you can imagine, these are not susceptible to fine manipulation or flow.

With time and practice, the gravel is refined to coarse sand, much more maneuverable and able to reach places previously impossible to access. With further time and practice and the practitioner's energy may even become as fine sand or powder.

At this point your energy is subtle, maneuverable and can be greatly and easily leveraged to great effect. With much less effort, your magic has become much more powerful and effective. I hope this explanation has given you some insight into the benefits of regularly performing these rituals.

The LBRP can be used to clear and cleanse an area, chasing away unwanted energies and influences, thus preparing it for further magical workings. It is particularly good at preparing the area for element level rituals and can be used as a preparation for the Lesser Invoking Ritual of the Pentagram.

The Kabbalistic Tree of Life

Let’s look at the Kabbalistic view of what you are doing. This refers to the Tree of Life, which you should familiarize yourself with. Theoretically, you are standing at the intersection of the Paths of Samekh (Path 25 and Sagittarius) and Pe (Path 27 and Mars). You face Tiphereth, the Sphere of the Sun, with Netzach (Venus) on your right and Hod (Mercury) on your left. Behind you is Yesod, the Sphere of the Moon.

As a comprehensive symbol of the four elements and spirit brought into harmony, the pentagram can be used to ritually invoke or banish not only Earth but any of the other elements, or spirit. The Banishing Earth Pentagram can be used in each quarter instead of the banishing pentagram of each individual element. This is, however, a working of a lower vibratory level then when the full four banishing pentagrams are used in the Lesser Banishing Ritual.

It is very bad practice to invoke spiritual force without first performing the necessary banishing. This ritual not only clears and balances yourself but does the same to the area in which it is performed and prepares the area for further workings.

The Archangels are evoked by the clockwise direction of the circle you make when you join up the pentagrams. Any spirits called to the circle during a more elaborate ritual where elemental force is employed are thanked and allowed to depart gracefully before any banishing pentagrams are drawn. Traditionally they are blessed in the name of their Ruler, Archangel, or the Deity Name. But that is for other, more advanced ritual workings we will cover in future posts.

Part 5: Summary

When you perform the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram, you begin to aspire to the highest concept you can imagine, by the vibration of Atah, "Thou Art." This is then affirmed on Earth with Malkuth, and in the balance of forces that rule the universe, Geburah and Gedulah. It is then affirmed in Eternity as Le Olahm, Amen - "To the Ages of Ages, so be it."

You have, with the Kabbalistic Cross, placed yourself at the center of the Universe, having first brought the divine presence into your heart, mind and body. Next you go on to cleanse the four quarters of the Universe with pentagrams, affirming Man as the mirror of the Divine Image and with the ability to control the elements through spirit, the topmost point. The deity names are sent thundering through to the Ends of the Universe and back again. Your Magical Universe is then defined by the marking of the circle of light, another reminder of Spirit, and of Kether the Godhead, the Crown of the Tree of Life.

The drawing of the four pentagrams automatically invokes spirit, the fifth point, and so raises the microcosmic consciousness to the level of the macrocosm, having completely sealed the circle against the Outer Darkness, the World of unbalanced forces called Qliphoth. Malkuth is shown divided into four sections of color on the Tree diagram: citrine, russet, olive and black in the colors of the Queen Scale.

The black part, representing the Dead End of Matter, the point of maximum inertia in the Universe, abuts onto the World of Shells, the husks or discarded astral remnants that souls departing the earth plane have left. This world is also inhabited by many other undesirable waste products of the Universe, including thought forms of a very low order.

Now, with the power of the pentagram and the Ineffable Name, you have sealed yourself off from the outer world, the profane world of ignorance and darkness, from the false and the unseemly. By this act you have called into operation the macrocosm, as the Greater Voice responding to the Lesser. Therefore, above you and below you, as if you stood in a vertical column, appears the six-rayed star of the cosmos, the hexagram of two interlaced triangles.

If you were to count all the points of the pentagrams and hexagrams, you would have thirty-two, the total number of the Sephiroth plus the twenty-two paths of the Tree of Life. You stand in a Palace built for the Indwelling Glory, the Shekinah, the Soul of God. Light spelled in Roman numerals LVX adds up to sixty-five, and so does the Divine Name of Malkuth Adonai (ADNI). Six is the macrocosm, the Divine Being, and five is the number of Man in the Lower World.

The union of these two is the object of the Great Work. Your position in the center constitutes spirit, and by adding Above and Below to the four elemental directions in space, the six of the macrocosm is once more confirmed. Finally, you repeat again the Kabbalistic Cross, which places the flame of the Eternal in your heart, the center of the Magical Universe. And this procedure, when well-practiced, can be completed perfectly well in two minutes of your time.

As Tetragrammaton is the Name of Deity in four letters, Pentagrammaton is the Name expressed in five. Y.H.V.H. (Yod - He - Vau - He) plus Shin (Spirit of the Primal Fire = 300, you may wish to check further correspondences) is written Y.H.Sh.V.H, Yeheshuah, which is why "Jesus" or Yeheshuah was the Son of Man and the Son of God in The Bible.

In Kabbalah, Y.H.Sh.V.H. is the representation of the Holy Spirit of Man informing the four elements of Nature, for Man is the Initiator of the Elemental Kingdom. The elements of the soul, the Nephesch, are redeemed by the Spiritual Fire, which is the formula of the recreation of the Divine World on earth, the Kingdom.

I hope this has proven useful to you and that your work is greatly rewarded. If you have questions, comments or opinions, please feel free to post them in the comments section. We're here to have an exchange of ideas and practices and your comments are greatly appreciated. And subscribe down at the bottom of the page to get notified of new posts, events or whatever might be happening.